Welcome the newest addition to the Community Veterinary Partners family, Horsham Veterinary Hospital in Horsham, Pennsylvania. Located 30 miles outside of center city Philadelphia, the veterinary practice consists of six doctors and joins CVP’s extended family in PA as its 44th hospital overall.

Dr. Joseph DiMauro, the founder and proprietor of Horsham Veterinary Hospital, graduated (Dean’s List) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1984 and went on to earn a Master’s of Business Administration degree in Healthcare Administration from Temple University. He founded Horsham Veterinary Hospital in 1986 and has been an advocate for animals and actively involved in community affairs ever since. “We are excited to be a part of the network of CVP Veterinary hospitals.” Says Dr. DiMauro, “We had an opportunity to join a number of companies, but we chose to partner with CVP because of the uniqueness that they bring to the veterinary profession. We look forward to enhancing the services that we provide to our clients and patients because of our association with CVP.”

Horsham Veterinary Hospital’s mission has been providing care for the pets of thousands of people in Eastern Montgomery and Southern Bucks Counties. Their modern, state- of-the-art hospital and other facilities make them the best choice of care for pets. In addition to wellness, clients can find services such as Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Dentistry, Laser Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery and Behavior Medicine. Horsham Veterinary Hospital is also AAHA-accredited and provides ultrasounds, echocardiographs, endoscopies and more. They also care for ferrets! In addition to their medical services, Horsham Veterinary Hospital also offers boarding, grooming, training, food and supplies!

“The addition of Horsham Veterinary Hospital to our already ever-growing presence in the state of Pennsylvania is truly a testament to the type of wonderful practices and staff that our family encompasses. You can feel the compassion they have from the moment you walk in to the second you leave and that’s how you know that they practice what they preach” says Lou Weihrauch, Vice President of Operations at Community Veterinary Partners. “Dr. DiMauro has built a wonderful hospital and reputation over the last 30 years and we will strive to uphold their mission in the community and care in which we all provide”.

Vet considers retiring rather than comply with regulators

“I’d like to continue practicing, but it is going to take a miracle to keep my license,” he said in a letter to clients. “I don’t feel I can conform to their request… there is a lot in the settlement that I don’t feel right about.”

For Veterinary Students the Hardest Lessons of All is Saying Goodbye

Euthanasia is one of the most common procedures veterinarians perform, and some individual doctors put more than 100 of their patients to death each year. Experts say that can exact an indelible psychological toll. And now college programs training future veterinarians are paying special attention to the emotional aspects of death.

Research: Lyme disease subverts immune system, prevents protection

Ninety-five percent of dogs exposed to Lyme disease do not have symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). And according to a recent study, their immune systems may be tricked into not launching a full-blown response or developing lasting immunity to the disease.

Forum: Lyme disease a continual issue in dogs, and humans

Lyme disease is diagnosed more readily and responded to differently in animal health compared to human health. Two veterinarians and two experts on tick-borne disease in people spoke on Sept. 10 at an unusual forum in Syracuse, N.Y. It was unusual because it is rare for medical professionals on the animal and human side to share information on the same stage.

Entertainment
Veterinary documentary featured at film festivals

What began as a graduate student’s film project has blossomed into a critically acclaimed documentary about a larger-than-life veterinarian in pursuit of his passions: animal health and community outreach. New York Vet follows Long Island veterinarian Dr. John Charos throughout his daily life operating a chain of practices and volunteering to prevent animal abuse.

Big Growth Hits West Coast Hospitals

We’ve been seeing strong growth at our hospitals, but the data out of California is truly remarkable. A new survey shows almost 10 percent growth in August. Some of it is due to price increases, but even adjusting for that, the growth is impressive. In our family of 16 hospitals along the Mid Atlantic, all but one has grown revenue this year. It’s been a mix of initiatives contributing to the increases: new services, improved client communication, marketing initiatives.

What is driving revenue growth at your hospital? Comment at our website.

Get Ready to Pay Your New Vets More Money

A new report from the AVMA finds that starting salaries for veterinarians is $67,000, but that increases are coming over the next 10 years.

“The report predicts that an increase in starting salaries will follow from an improving economy and a forecast that continued growth in the number of veterinary graduates is unlikely,” according to the story.

Are you seeing any increases in starting salaries for vets at your hospital? Comment at our website.

FDA Issues Groundbreaking Rules for Manufacturing Pet Foods

Nearly 5 years after the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)–and after multiple outbreaks of food-borne illnesses in both people and their pets–the FDA has finalized two major rules contained in the law. One of those rules marks the first time the agency is laying out current good manufacturing practices for making, processing and packaging animal foods..

Penn Vet Team Identifies a Form of Congenital Night Blindness in Dogs

Working in collaboration with Japanese scientists, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have for the first time found a form of congenital night blindness in dogs. Their discovery and subsequent hunt for the genetic mutation responsible may one day allow for the development of gene therapy to correct the dysfunction in people as well as dogs.

Dogster: What You Need to Know About the Rabies Vaccine

Rabies vaccines are among the strongest immune-stimulating vaccines, as they are killed-virus products that contain powerful adjuvants (substances that enhance the body’s immune response to an antigen), and all but one currently licensed rabies vaccine contains mercury (thimerosal) preservative, which is known to induce autoimmune and other immunological adverse effects. That said, rabies is a fatal disease of all mammals, including humans, and is the reason that rabies vaccination is legally mandated.

Your Clients Are Skipping Wellness Exams

That’s the message from Partners for Healthy Pets. The industry group looked at practice management systems in 5,000 hospitals and found that the percentage of “inactive” clients had increased significantly since 2012. More than half of dogs and cats had not had a visit to the hospital in 18 months.

We see these trends throughout the industry. PHP’s response was to increase marketing to inactive clients. And the results were positive. It shows the power and importance of strong communication plans for the profession.

More Clients Going “Inactive”

A review of the databases from approximately 5,000 companion animal veterinary practices in the U.S. shows a steady increase in the number of inactive clients over at least the past 3 years, according to a study by Partners for Health Pets.

Veterinary Generics Squeezed by Distribution “Blocking” Agreements

In her daily quest to provide pet owners affordable treatments for their animals, Dr. Julia Lucas routinely seeks out generic versions of drugs. Finding sources for most generics isn’t simple, she discovered a couple of years ago.

The reason is that dominant veterinary-supply distributors in the United States are bound by exclusivity agreements with Zoetis, the world’s largest animal drug manufacturer, that prevent them from selling generic drugs that compete with the Zoetis brand.

UK Study: Dogs Can Identify People with Prostate Cancer

In a recent UK National Health Service (NHS) preliminary study, trained dogs were able to sniff out prostate cancer 9 out of 10 times, making them a more accurate predictor than the standard (but controversial) Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) screening test, which has a high “false positive” rate.

Dear Dr. Fox: Affordable Veterinary Care is Lacking in US

Pets are companions for millions of people in this country, and many of us are on a limited income. Just the price of food from Walmart is a stretch. I’d love to feed my pets the homemade food you recommend, but it’s out of the question. So are visits to the vet. So many animal lovers fall into this category. I’ve even heard several stories of people going through their limited retirement funds to try to save a beloved pet. What’s the moral thing to do here? Are pets for the well-off only?

Community Veterinary Partners works with veterinarian owners who want to continue running the medical side of their practices, but want help with the day-to-day administrative and team management tasks. We help create a long-term strategy and a sustainable way for your practice to continue thriving — well into the future. Contact us to learn about how to partner with CVP and secure your financial future and the legacy of your hospital.

Student Uses 3-D Printer to Improve Veterinary Surgery

A Kansas State college student turned CT scans of animal bone fractures and deformities into full-scale 3-D prints that veterinarians at the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine are using for teaching, to plan surgeries and to find more cost-effective ways to treat four-legged patients.

Animal Health Public Markets
Petco Announces IPO

Retail chain Petco has spent much of the last two years remodeling its stores to emphasize its new focus on pet health and wellness, which included adding an online pharmacy service courtesy of its 2014 acquisition of online retailer Drs. Foster & Smith. Now Petco, which was taken private in 2006 in a $1.8 billion private equity deal, is taking the story of its reinvention back to Wall Street, filing on August 17 for an initial public offering.

Association News
AVMA Announces New President

Dr. Thomas F. Meyer has been named president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Meyer, who was elected to the post by the AVMA House of Delegates (HOD) at its summer session on July 10, succeeds Dr. Joseph H. Kinnarney, who has officially assumed his role as AVMA president.

Lori M. Teller, DVM, DABVP (canine and feline), has begun her tenure as one of the 11 members of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Board of Directors, bringing the total number of women on the board to an unprecedented six.

AAHA Accredits First Zoo

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo has become the first zoo in the United States and Canada to earn accreditation by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).

Food Recall
Frozen Raw Cat Food Recalled

Northwest Farm Food Cooperative has issued a voluntarily recall of frozen raw cat food that may be contaminated with salmonella, which can affect the animals consuming the product and poses a risk to humans handling the product. To date, no pet or consumer illnesses from the cat food have been reported.

Practice Safety
Vet Bitten by Rabid Dog

A Greenbrier, Ark., veterinarian was bitten by a dog last month that had been infected with rabies.

Community Veterinary Partners works with veterinarian owners who want to continue running the medical side of their practices, but want help with the day-to-day administrative and team management tasks. We help create a long-term strategy and a sustainable way for your practice to continue thriving — well into the future. Contact us to learn about how to partner with CVP and secure your financial future and the legacy of your hospital.